Many terms can be used to describe most Mac accessories—modern, clean, and shiny are just a few. But “hauntingly beautiful?” That’s a first. GhostStand for MacBook ($35) is a somewhat surprising design from Twelve South: instead of the metal and leather the company is known for, this one’s made of clear lucite, making it invisible-ish on your desk. The stand is a made from a pair of intersecting risers, which lift your MacBook several inches off your desk. Silicone rails on their tops prevent the computer from slipping off. Twelve South says the stand was inspired by Philippe Starck’s Ghost Chair, and we can definitely see the resemblance. Updated on August 28, 2013 with new photos and hands-on details!
We should have expected as much from the official photographs, but we were still a little surprised at the simplicity of GhostStand’s package: the box contains little more than two clear plastic pieces accented by integrated rubber rails and white logos, plus one sheet of assembly instructions, and inserts to keep the parts from getting scratched. After peeling off two sheets of protective film, all you need to do is place one of the saw-shaped pieces inside the other, then gently push them together at two notch points. They lock into place more or less permanently; as Twelve South’s instructions note, “once constructed, disassembly is not recommended.”
Once assembled, GhostStand basically disappears underneath the MacBook placed on it—the computer appears to be floating above the desk’s surface unless you view it from the side. Even an opened 11” MacBook Air required us to look underneath its edges to see GhostStand’s X-shaped footprint; the accessory is more obvious when the laptop is closed. Beyond the visual effect, you’ll note that the front of the computer is elevated around 3.6” above the desk, while the back is higher at roughly 5”, an ergonomic tilt that some users may like. Thanks to gray top and black bottom silicone rubber padding, we found GhostStand to be entirely sturdy for typing—a nice design that works quite well despite its simplicity. The only issue we noticed was a small, fully internal, and easy-to-miss hairline fracture in one part of the clear plastic, not impacting GhostStand’s looks or stability in any way. This is otherwise a very nice laptop stand.